With the landscape tinder dry and conditions ripe for wildfires, Adams County has announced a burn ban in all unincorporated areas. Effective immediately, absolutely no open burning is allowed.
[Adams County Sheriff’s Sgt. Paul] Gregory said the fire ban did not apply to fires within liquid fuels or gas stoves, fireplaces inside buildings and charcoal or propane grill fires at private residences. Fires within permanent fire grates in developed campgrounds are OK. So is burning household trash within a fireproof container that won’t let flame or burning material escape from the bottom of the container. Gregory said the container has to be in the center of an area that is 10 feet in diameter “from which all flammable material has been removed.”
The ban only applies to unincorporated areas of the county so is not applicable to Thornton residents within city limits. Click the image below for a look at the restrictions. To date we have not seen any fire ban ordered by the City of Thornton.
The City of Thornton's new Emergency Management T-Alerts will inform residents of a wide variety of weather and civil emergencies.
Sitting at the western edge of tornado alley, the Denver metro area is home to severe weather of all forms. In an effort to keep residents aware of the dangers Mother Nature brings every year, the City of Thornton is set to roll out an email alert system.
Seeking to correct that lapse, Thornton’s Office of Emergency Management presented a significant enhancement to the city’s T-Alert system to city council at a planning session last night.
Emergency Manager Gene Putman explained that with the proliferation of email on mobile devices like cellular phones, the system will allow the city to send out warnings to residents in a matter of seconds. The system was tested during the February snowstorms and was a resounding success.
Dispatches can be sent out by the city’s emergency management personnel or in an urgent situation, the new 911 center. Spanish translations to the messages will also be included in the emails.
Putman said, “Within 30 seconds of a warning being issued by the National Weather Service we can have that critical information out to residents.”
Uses for the emergency management service will include obvious items such as tornado watches and warnings and severe hail or flooding. Also thrown into the mix will be important announcements about major snow events, hazardous material spills and other types of civil alerts.
Jack Ethredge, City Manager, is no stranger to disasters having served as Emergency Manager along the Gulf Coast during two hurricanes. He told council the system gives the city an “important, broader way to communicate.”
While the new system will help to keep residents safe, officials also remind residents that they must take responsibility for their own safety as well and stay aware of developing weather. Local news media should be monitored and residents should own a NOAA All Hazards Radio.
Note: In addition to the city’s alert system, you can subscribe to ThorntonWeather.com’s alert system. We believe the two systems will complement each other. Our system provides all watches and warnings from the National Weather Service while the city’s will maintain a focus on the major events.
Thornton also continues to improve and refine its disaster preparedness as a city government.
Emergency management personnel are receiving important training on disaster response and new emergency procedures are being developed all city employees.
When disaster strikes, the speed and accuracy of a response is essential and Emergency Investigation Area Teams have been created to aid on this front. Each team will be comprised of personnel from key city departments. These teams will be responsible for one of six Emergency Investigation Areas and when needed, will be deployed to document a situation and provide direction.
Weather, natural disasters & climate news and information.
